Police Say 45-Year-Old Michael Aliperti Threatened To Shoot An 11-Year-Old Boy Who Beat Him At ‘Fortnite’

The father of three threatened to shoot the boy at his school, police say.

The father of three threatened to shoot the boy at his school, police say.

Police say 45-year-old Michael Aliperti is a very sore loser.

Officers in Huntington, New York, arrested the man on Tuesday on charges that he threatened to shoot an 11-year-old boy who beat him at the video game Fortnite. The Suffolk County Police Department said Aliperti was arrested at close to 1:40 a.m. on Tuesday after he sent text and online messages to the boy through Xbox Live. As Pix 11 reported, the man made the threats on Monday night and apparently told the boy he planned to shoot him, possibly at the child’s school.

“For an adult to threaten an 11-year-old kind of gives new definition to sore loser,” said Suffolk County Police Chief Stuart Cameron (via ABC 7 New York).

Police did not say if the man actually knew the boy’s identity, but they have stepped up security at the boy’s school.

Fortnite is a multi-player video game in which players compete to win different forms of contests. The game has become a cultural powerhouse, one of the top-selling games of all time. But it has also brought out a dark side, with reports of players becoming addicted and some relationships destroyed because of it. A report from AV News noted that the video game was mentioned in at least 200 divorce proceedings this year.

“These numbers equate to roughly 5 percent of the 4,665 petitions we have handled since the beginning of the year and as one of the largest filers of divorce petitions in the U.K. is a pretty good indicator,” a representative for Divorce Online noted. “Addiction to drugs, alcohol and gambling have often been cited as reasons for relationship breakdowns but the dawn of the digital revolution has introduced new addictions.”

Lance Ulanoff, a tech expert, told ABC 7 New York that the arrest of 45-year-old Michael Aliperti should be a wake-up call to parents about the dangers that can come with unmonitored use of the game.

“I’m guessing that this guy got really angry and wasn’t thinking and said these horrible things to this kid,” he said.

“You wouldn’t let your child go walking in an unknown neighborhood by themselves, but parents let their kids play video games by themselves all the time,” Ulanoff added. “Meanwhile, they’re interacting with people they have never met.”

Michael Aliperti, who has three children and owns a landscaping business, has not spoken publicly about the allegations. A family member who answered the door at his home asked for privacy when ABC 7 New York sought a comment.